In the Luangwa Valley of Zambia, people discovered that using snares to kill wild animals was a good substitute for farming. Thousands of animals were killed annually, often slow and agonizing deaths, strangled and cut by steel wire. Such exotic and charismatic species as the lion, wild dog, kudu and roan were vulnerable to this horrific fate as snaring replaced farming.  But no longer.

COMACO (Community Markets for Conservation) provides a solution for how humans and the environment can coexist through a revolutionary approach that uses rural-based markets to support conservation.  

Marketing under the It’s Wild brand, COMACO provides farmers with higher prices and access to markets.  In exchange they adopt specific land use practices to maintain soil fertility, choose crops that help reduce conflicts with wildlife, and commit to stop wildlife snaring or illegal hunting. All proceeds from sales are reinvested in efforts to achieve food security, increased rural income, and improved natural resource management.  Certified products include rice, a soy protein supplement, peanut butter, and honey - which are marketed locally and regionally – and Snarewear, jewelry crafted from snares confiscated by local farmers to protect wildlife and available to consumers globally.

View the entire It's Wild! Snarewear collection.